Wildfires raging on 13,000 hectares

Wildfires raging in Buryatia have spread to 2,000 hectares over the past 24 hours. The blaze grew to more than 13,000 square kilometres against the 11,000 square kilometres recorded on Wednesday morning, the regional forestry agency said.

"At least 29 fire spots were recorded in 11 districts and on the outskirts of the regional capital city Ulan-Ude along with Ulan-Ude military forestry, Tunkin and Trans-Baikal National Wildlife park and Baikal Nature Reserve," the agency’s spokeswoman Aleksandra Yegorova said.

A fire raging in 850 hectares in the Baikal Nature Reserve was said to be started by a lightning.